Carlsbad man sentenced for role in child sex abuse scheme
This article discusses sexual assault. If you or someone you know experiences sexual violence, you can find support via La Piñon's 24-Hour Crisis Hotline at 575-526-3437 or go to www.lapinon.org.
A Carlsbad man was the latest person sentenced to federal prison after meeting with a married couple who produced child pornography and advertised children for sex acts online.
Juan Antonio Flores, 47, was sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to enticement of a minor on Sept. 19, 2023.
Records show Flores met with Joseph and Rachel Crutcher after Flores voiced his desire to sexually abuse a girl the Crutchers advertised online. Police said the couple planned to provide Flores access to a 9-year-old girl.
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Police said Flores met with the Crutchers three times, when Flores and Rachel Crutcher had sex in front of the girl and another child. During another encounter, police said Joseph Crutcher had sex with an underage girl while Flores and Rachel Crutcher had sex.
The girl told police the Crutchers took her to a local park to meet with Flores that month, and the couple had sex with Flores, read a criminal complaint. The girl also told police Flores asked her to perform a sex act on him, but the girl refused.
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Investigators were able to link Flores to the Crutchers’ website via his account “Fluffydragon28” through a December 2022 subpoena that also revealed Flores’ email address and phone number, read the complaint. A subsequent subpoena issued to Google on the email account also showed Flores as the user.
His driver’s license photo was compared with images posted by Fluffydragon28 on the website, and police determined Flores was the user of the account. Police also uncovered several online conversations between Flores and the Crutchers where they discussed molesting children, the complaint read.
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The messages showed they agreed to meet at the Veterans Park near Lower Tansil Dam in Carlsbad, read the complaint, with the intent of sexually molesting a child.
Joseph Crutcher, 59, previously pleaded guilty to a count each of production of child pornography, distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to 70 years in prison and required to register as a sex offender.
Rachel Crutcher, 38, pleaded guilty to a count of production of child pornography and was sentenced to 30 years in prison, while also being required to register as a sex offender.
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Police first obtained a search warrant for the Crutchers’ home in November 2022, after linking a fetish website to Rachel Crutcher. Joseph Crutcher initially told investigators he acted alone, using his wife’s computer, but Rachel Crutcher later confessed they worked together to publish the website and advertise the children for sexual abuse.
Dominic Allan Marks, 37, of Albuquerque was also charged and pleaded guilty to enticement of a minor in March 2023 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Police said he met with the Crutchers via their website and abused a 9-year-old girl. Police said Marks molested several other children, including a 5-year-old.
He will also be required to register as a sex offender after being released from prison.
The investigations by the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office were assisted by the Eddy County Sheriff's Office and Carlsbad Police Department.
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad man gets 17 years for role in child sex abuse scheme
